As its title ('Spacetime') would suggest, this week's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. played around with some fun concepts, predestination being the most fun of them all. The episode was also darker than usual and packed full of action and suspense, complete with an Inhuman that could share visions of impending death. On top of that a renewed focus on Hive and the return of Lash drudged up a number of intense moments that tell us the show is starting to shift us towards the a significant season finale.

With its adorable penchant for weirdness, flirting with the complexities of spacetime was a great fit for the show, as was including the age-old concept of the characters attempting to resist "fate" only to end up in exactly the position they were trying to avoid. Fitz's ability to put the concept into simple terms for the team was a great example of his progress since the accident. He quickly and easily uses an analogy that breaks down the idea of spacetime into clear and simple terms, only to have the team reject the idea of predestiny and charge forward anyway. The team's attempt to change the future and defy impossible odds to save a life was a fantastic example of the show playing to its narrative strengths while still deploying the sci-fi shenanigans and character-based storytelling that keep us coming back each week.

(Credit: ABC)

Even with all the big concepts being thrown around, there was still time for some smaller, personal revelations. Daisy is starting to see that sometimes Inhumans don't want their powers, and that not everybody sees them as a gift. Talking to Charles Hinton's wife seemed to have quite an impact on her, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Daisy take a step back and realize powers don't always improve lives. As if to drive this point home, Andrew aka Lash returned to the lives of our Agents this week....

The destructive impact that the activation of Inhuman powers can have on the lives of those affected has been a running theme this season, and this episode outlined certain methods that could combat these negative effects, such as the potential vaccine in the works. Meanwhile, and somewhat disconcertingly, Andrew suggests the team use Lash to keep things under control as a last resort. It would be heartbreaking and out of character to see Daisy rebel against the team and continue to aggressively promote her side of the argument while blindly refusing to consider the benefits of a vaccine. But as we have said before, it seems that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is now going all in on promoting the kind of idealistic conflicts that are set to feature in Captain America: Civil War, so it would seem that this could be a running theme throughout the rest of the season. Regardless of that, I'm hoping the events of this episode were enough to give Daisy some insight into the other side of the argument. It will be interesting to see where this storyline goes, especially with possibility of Hinton's daughter having the Inhuman gene.

The team plans to go ahead and try to rescue Hinton, attempting to avoid the future from his vision by leaving Daisy behind and rehearsing the action sequence Daisy had glimpsed in advance. This was one of the best parts of the episode with the entire team pitching in to help Agent May "rehearse", even though the plan fell apart when Andrew shows up. Apparently, Andrew predicts that the next time he transforms into Lash it will be the last, and Andrew will be gone forever. May decides to stay with him in his final moments, leaving Daisy to go forward with the mission from her vision, all of which just felt a little too convenient for my tastes. May and Andrew bond over the inevitability of a hopeless future and, despite the limited screen-time, the hands-touching-through-glass trope was still a touching moment.

(Credit: ABC)

During all of this, Hive is busy showing Malik what it means to have "true power". After reducing a group of executives to bloodied skeletons, Hive gifts Malick a super powerful exoskeleton made by the same people who made Coulson's bionic hand. Hive continues to push Malick further, convincing him to commit a firsthand murder for the first time by using his newfound strength to crush a man's skull with his own hands.

Meanwhile, our favorite team of agents heads in to save the day, but it all goes south just like the vision suggested it would. Malick is about to kill Daisy when Hinton steps in and sacrifices his life to save her. Apparently, whatever morbid vision Hinton shared with Malick scared him so much he fled the scene. Before dying, Hinton accidentally shares one last vision with Daisy which turns out to be the same exploding Quinjet scene we saw when the show first came back from hiatus. Visions aren't always what they seem, and judging by the events of the episode, Daisy doesn't have to be present to have a vision of someone else's death, so I doubt it's her death we see in the vision. While many are starting to suggest it, I highly doubt that the show is about to kill off Daisy, especially with the recent departure of Bobbi and Lance, and the fact that the Secret Warriors have barely started to from a group. Chances are, though, that Daisy or someone close to her will be involved in some way.

Amidst all the death, sadness, fire, and destruction the show still managed to slip in a sweet moment between Fitz and Simmons. The two hold hands as ash falls around them like fresh snow and Simmons admits that "maybe some things are inevitable".

(Credit: ABC)

After Bobbi and Lance's departure I'll admit I was worried that the loss of their dynamic might harm the show, but this episode proves otherwise. Hopefully, they'll also develop a few more Inhuman characters now that Hive has become an increasingly ominous threat. With Hive coming to the forefront I hope that means we'll be seeing more of the Secret Warriors, because who better to battle an ancient Inhuman than a group of Inhumans? Besides, given all the talk in the pre-season marketing, I was expecting to see more of them this season and so far Daisy's team of Inhumans is pretty sparse.

Next week episode we'll finally get to see the team dealing with the return of Ward, although it looks like the by the end of the episode Hive will finally give up the chiseled jaw for a face that goes better with his new Matrix-inspired fashion choices.

Best lines:

"I never saw the original Terminator." "You're off the team."

"Make sure they have a security team on the house. And buy the little girl something nice."